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Omaha -

Chances are you'll be introduced to Nebraska by way of Omaha, the state's largest city. Founded in 1854 along the Missouri River, the city is nicknamed the "Gateway to the West." But there are plenty of reasons to linger in town before exploring the rest of the state.

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Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium -

Omaha's zoo ranks among the state's most popular attractions, and in fact is one the best in the country. Its numerous themed habitats include the Desert Dome, one of the world's largest indoor deserts, and Kingdoms of the Night, set beneath the dome and the planet's largest nocturnal animal exhibit. The Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium, meanwhile, features a fantastic 21-m (70-ft) shark tunnel. The zoo's Siberian tigers live in the relatively new Asian Highland exhibit. 

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Durham Museum -

Imaginatively housed in Omaha's former Union Station, itself a spectacular example of Art Deco architecture, the Durham Museum showcases the United States' Western region. The station's old departure halls feature a number of quirky life-sized statues of passengers created to maintain the atmosphere of this near 100-year-old building.

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St. Cecilia Cathedral -

Looming large over Omaha's Gold Coast Historic District is St. Cecilia Cathedral. Completed in 1905, the structure was built using more than three million bricks. The interior dazzles under the colorful wash of stained glass windows more than 500 years old. Look carefully and you'll spy the Virgin Mary shown holding an ear of corn.

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Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge -

A pedestrian bridge might not be on everyone's sightseeing itinerary, but Omaha's Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is a bit special: it is the only foot bridge to connect two states— Nebraska and Iowa.

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Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashford -

Southwest of Omaha in Ashford is the fascinating Strategic Air and Space Museum. The SR-71A Blackbird (pictured) is one of many iconic aircraft on display here. Other winged highlights include a Lockheed U-2 and the massive B-17G "Flying Fortress." Budding astronauts can admire the Apollo Block 1 command module from the Apollo program's uncrewed February, 1966 AS-201 mission.

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Lincoln -

Lincoln, Nebraska's capital city, also has its fair share of cultural and historic attractions, enough in fact to merit a few days' exploration in this peaceful and unassuming destination.

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Nebraska State Capitol -

The Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln is unique in that it was the first state capitol to incorporate a tower into its design. The 120-m (400-ft) column can be seen up to 32 km (20 mi) away.

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State Capitol interior -

The building, completed in 1932, features an interior decorated with a series of extraordinary and highly detailed murals. Look out, too, for the ornate Art Deco tile mosaic set on the rotunda floor representing Nebraskan life, both modern and prehistoric.

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University of Nebraska State Museum -

Located on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln City Campus, this modest museum facility belies its small dimensions with an impressive collection of dinosaur fossils. But it's in the Elephant Hall where most visitors linger, to marvel over one of the largest mammoth skeletons in the world.

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Memorial Stadium -

Lincoln's Memorial Stadium is the home field of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Check if there's a game scheduled and join the "sea of red." Otherwise, seek out the Hall of Fame walk outside the arena and take the free self-guided tour.

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Sunken Gardens -

Founded in 1930, this landscaped estate is noted by National Geographic as one of the best gardens to visit in North America, not least for the Annual Garden, embroidered with 30,000 plants, and the meditative Healing Garden, where all the plants bloom white.

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Pioneers Park Nature Center -

The Pioneers Park Nature Center preserves 668 acres of tallgrass prairie, woodlands, and wetlands to showcase what the Great Plains used to look like before modern-day farming methods altered the landscape forever. The focal point is a Nature Center, the residents of which include a small herd of bison.

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Sheldon Museum of Art -

Standing near the state museum is another Lincoln cultural draw, the city's Sheldon Museum of Art. While the main focus of the facility is on American art, the museum is celebrated for its collection of monumental sculptures exhibited year round in the Sculpture Garden.

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Lincoln Children's Zoo -

Kids are well looked after in Lincoln, and will find the children's zoo especially appealing. It's designed specifically so that youngsters can interact with the animals, for example being able to feed giraffes and meeting other residents on the Animal Encounter Stage. The zoo is also responsible for housing threatened and endangered species, such as the rarely seen Matschie's tree-kangaroo (pictured).

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Lincoln Children's Museum -

And then there's the Lincoln Children's Museum, which is both fun and educational. Here, families are invited to create, discover, and learn through the power of play.

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International Quilt Museum -

The world's largest quilt collection is displayed at the International Quilt Museum. Numbered in the thousands, quilts on display date from the 1600s and originate from countries around the world.

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National Roller Skating Museum -

Lincoln can also boast another unique museum, the National Roller Skating Museum, which contains the most comprehensive collection of roller skates on the planet. One pair dates back to 1814, while the jet pack skates from the late 1950s could reach speed of up to 64 km/h (40 mph).

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Chimney Rock National Historic Site -

The wide-open Nebraska landscape captures the imagination with geological rock formations like the unmistakable Chimney Rock, which served as a landmark along the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail during the Wild West days of the mid-19th century.

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Scotts Bluff National Monument -

Similarly, Scotts Bluff provided those following the same trails with another iconic natural wonder reference point and which today is a cherished national monument.

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Golden Spike Tower, North Platte -

The observation room at the top pf Golden Spike Tower affords unique views over the Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, the world's largest rail yard.

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Indian Cave State Park -

Prime hiking and camping territory, Indian Cave State Park is also appreciated for a remarkable set of beautiful and intriguing prehistoric petroglyphs. This ancient rock art can be admired from a series of decks and boardwalks.

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Toadstool Geologic Park, Harrison -

The toadstools in question are the odd-looking hoodoo rock formations that decorate Nebraska's badlands to lend the region a distinctly unworldly appearance.

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Sandhills -

Driving slowly through the Sandhills region of Nebraska is to experience some of the most evocative landscapes in the state. A huge expanse of mixed-grass prairie sown into carpets of rolling sand dunes, Sandhills is scenic America at some of its most appealing.

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Carhenge, Alliance -

Motoring through the Sandhills will bring you to one of Nebraska's most unusual eye-openers: Carhenge. An experimental, automotive replica of Stonehenge, this extraordinary car sculpture does a pretty good job of replicating England's famous prehistoric monument.

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Cowboy Trail -

If you'd rather leave the car at home and instead live out your cowboy fantasies, saddle up and ride the Cowboy Trail. This 313-km (150-mi) bridle path follows a derelict Chicago & Northwestern railway line as it traverses the northern part of the state. And if you don't own a horse, a mountain bike or a pair of sturdy walking boots work just as well!

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Historic Fort Robinson State Park, Crawford -

A former US Army outpost is the centerpiece of the Historic Fort Robinson State Park, located near Crawford. While the fort's historic buildings are certainly worth investigating, it's the simple plaque marking the site where the famed Lakota war chief Crazy Horse was killed while resisting imprisonment on September 5, 1877 that is particularly poignant.

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Great Platte River Road Archway Monument -

Known simply as the Archway, this structure spanning Interstate 80 near Kearny houses a historical experience that tells the story of Nebraska and the Platte River Valley in the development of the United States. A tourism office is onsite.

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Sandhill crane migration -

If you're out and about in the Kearny region in March or early April, you can't miss the hundred of thousands of sandhill cranes congregating on farmland to gorge on leftover corn kernels during a stopover on their annual migration. It's one of the most impressive migration sights in the natural world.

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Homestead National Monument, Beatrice -

Homestead National Monument encloses land successfully claimed under the Homestead Act, signed into law in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln, which allowed millions of people to settle on open government land covering several states, including Nebraska. The park features an original cabin from the period as well as an informative welcome center. 

Sources: (National Park Service) (History) (National Archives)

See also: Learn more about America's one-room schoolhouses

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